A Cuban woman returned to the island after a decade and shared on TikTok her reaction to reconnecting with a country she no longer recognizes: desolate streets, a gray city, and a Varadero that bears no resemblance to the place she remembered.
Yaniris Díaz, known on TikTok as @yani_renaciendo, posted a video a little over a minute long in which she documents her return to Cuba. The trip was a last-minute decision to surprise her family and celebrate her aunt's birthday, although the surprise could not be carried out because she was discovered before arriving.
Due to a lack of available tickets to Varadero, he had to fly through Havana, which allowed him to show the capital to his son. The images he recorded in the city speak for themselves. "The city truly looked very desolate and gray," he says in the video.
But the hardest blow came when I stepped foot in Varadero. "Without a doubt, the biggest shock was when I arrived in Varadero," says Yaniris, who hadn't returned to Cuba since she emigrated ten years ago. "For God's sake, I found a place that was completely different, very far from all the joy and excitement it used to represent for me to visit it every holiday."
His final reflection is striking: "If Varadero and Havana are like this, how are the other provinces? My country is in total decline."
The testimony of Yaniris is not an isolated case. Other Cubans returning after years abroad have documented similar experiences, marked by the contrast between memories and a reality that is continually deteriorating. A Cuban who walked the streets of Varadero in June 2025 already displayed that same contrast, and in August of that year, another content creator documented Varadero empty in the height of summer, stating that "tourism is declining more and more each day."
The data supports what these videos show. Tourism in Cuba collapsed in 2025 to 1.81 million international visitors, the lowest figure in two decades, a 62% drop from the record of 4.7 million registered in 2018. Hotel occupancy in the first quarter of that year was only 24.1%, with over 75% of the infrastructure idle. Hotels in Cuba have lowered prices and even give them away without managing to reverse the decline.
The deterioration is not limited to tourism. The Cuban economy contracted by 5% in 2025 and is projected to decline by as much as 7.2% in 2026, totaling a collapse of 23% since 2019. Power outages lasting between 18 and 25 hours each day are common, and shortages of food, medicine, and fuel are widespread. A Cuban family recently revealed the impact of the crisis on the daily lives of those who remain on the island.
Despite the impact, Yaniris concludes her video on a hopeful note. "I’m here to focus on the joy we can bring to my family during these days, on the beautiful energies and vibes that recharge my soul every time I’m with them," she says, promising to continue sharing her visit in upcoming videos.
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